Crowdfunding London: September

Chris Lockie
By Chris Lockie Last edited 126 months ago
Crowdfunding London: September

Jada

Londonist's latest look at the world of public-funded projects with a London link focuses on crowdfunding site Indiegogo.

The Landlady

Are you tired of vampires, zombies and the usual sword-and-sorcery balls that Hollywood foists upon us month after month? The Landlady aims to bring back a bit of zest to the horror genre, with an anthology of four stories in the best British Hammer tradition.

The stories will be shot in London with a professional cast and crew, and simply the title 'The Landlady' suggests a particularly 'London' brand of horror is likely to emerge from the depths of the creators' black hearts. Project perks include a go on the director's bike, but if you're interested in any aspect of the film you'd best hurry as the funding is due to close in the next few days.

Bee Happy

Given we are constantly being told of the parlous state of Britain's bee population, a project to introduce 10-20 new bee colonies across south-west London and Surrey is timely indeed. Apiary Manager Sameer Ghai is looking for funds to add to the colony he has already started on the first of three sites, with a focus on sustainability without the use of pesticides and other chemicals.

Project perks include an apiary tour, a large quantity of honey from the planned 2014 harvest, and even a bee colony in your name! So... help the bees! Help save the world!

Lock Pick Cards

One of the stranger crowdfunded ideas Londonist has come across so far. Have you ever found yourself locked outside your house with the keys tucked safely in a jacket pocket inside, wishing you could only pick the lock and turn off that pan of beans on the stove? Of course you have!

Spare yourself the nightmare of a burned-down home or lost shed key with SonOfStephen's metal lock-pick cards! Credit-card sized, these lock-picks fit snugly in your pocket for that moment when you find yourself staring at your bike and patting yourself down with an increasingly anxious expression.

NB: Londonist in no way condones using lock-picks of credit-card or any other size on property other than your own, no matter how cool these are.

Voice of Freedom

Human trafficking is a despicable crime, and London feels its effects as much as anywhere. Voice of Freedom is a participatory photography project that plans to work with a group of trafficked women to bring their voices and stories to the world. The idea is to set up a series of workshops with the women, teaching them photography, so that they can confront and take control of their experiences and ultimately share their stories, if they choose to do so.

Lead workshop facilitator Leila Segal previously worked on Change The Picture, a PhotoVoice project with sex workers in London's East End. She and her colleagues hope to raise enough money to give a platform to women who have gone through agonies more unspeakable than the majority of us could ever imagine.

Voice of Freedom is about halfway towards its funding goal with a week left of the crowdfunding project to run, so please hurry over to Indiegogo to offer your support.

Jada Preservation Society

Not every crowdfunding project has to have a long-term focus or lofty goal – many offer a far more personal tale to tug at the heart-strings. One such involves Jada the dog, who has an infection and requires a few quid so that Rob, her faithful owner, can afford to look after her.

Simply the photo of Jada at the top of this article should be enough to convince you she deserves your help, but if not perhaps the project's perks will swing it – a walk with Jada when she's better, a day in her excellent company, or even a whole weekend!

London Photography (Added 16 September 2013)

Photographs of famous London locations always look a bit eerie or preternatural when devoid of people. Perhaps it's the 28 Days Later effect. Anthony Epes and Diana Bird are regular early risers, capturing the city at dawn before the masses descend. They're now looking to raise £10,000 to kickstart publication of two high-quality publications — London at Dawn and Paris at Dawn — which capture the best of Anthony's morning glories. The London volume was previously published 10 years ago, but is long due a new breath of life, with updated photography.

Last Updated 13 September 2013